motherboard

L

menu: A software interface that

 

 

displays a list of options on the

level 2 cache: See cache.

screen. Also called a screen.

microprocessor: A hardware compo-

Light Emitting Diode (LED): A

nent contained in a single integrated

. semiconductor device that emits light

circuit that carries out instructions.

when a current is applied.

Also called the central processing unit

 

 

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD): Liquid

(CPU), one of the main parts of the

crystal sealed between two sheets of

computer.

glass coated with transparent con-

mode: A method of operation, for

ducting material. The viewing-side

example, the boot mode or the resume

coating is etched into character

mode.

forming segments with leads that

modem: Derived from modulator/

extend to the edge of the glass.

demodulator, a device that converts

Applying a voltage between the glass

(modulates) digital data for transmis-

sheets darkens the liquid crystal to

sion over telephone lines and then

provide contrast to lighted portions of

converts modulated data (demodu-

the display.

lates) to digital format where received.

LSI: Large Scale Integration. 1) A

monitor: A device that uses rows and

technology that allows the inclusion of

columns of pixels to display alphanu-

up to 100,000 simple logic gates on a

meric characters or graphic images.

single chip. 2) An integrated circuit

See CRT.

that uses the large scale integration.

 

 

 

motherboard: A name sometimes

M

used to refer to the main printed circuit

board in processing equipment. It

 

 

 

 

usually contains integrated circuits

main board: See motherboard.

that perform the processor’s basic

megabyte (MB): A unit of data

functions and provides connectors for

adding other boards that perform

storage equal to 1024 kilobytes. See

special functions. Sometimes called a

also kilobyte.

main board.

megahertz: A unit of wave frequency

 

that equals 1 million cycles per

 

second. See also hertz.

 

LOSSARYG

Glossary-9